Sign-in to Ask A Doctor - 24x7
OR
Sign in with Google
What Causes High Heart Rate When Having Vagus Nerve Dystonia?
Question: A doctor told me to get checked for vagus nerve dystonia. What are the symptoms of this and why would he say this. My blood pressure is normal and goes up sometimes due to panic and anxiety. I have had several tests done on my heart and everything seems to come back normal. I get slight bradycardia at rest around 52-56 bpm but my heart rate does go up with movement. I am really worried about this. I have never heard of the vagus nerve dystonia and I am afraid now. I do get occasional PACS and a few PVCS but my cardiologist says it is not from a problem with my heart. I've noticed that sometimes when I stand up I will get a few slow heart beats fpr 3-4 seconds and then it speeds up accordingly with movement.
Is this something neurological? I've had chest x ray, holter, ultrasound of the heart, stress test and a lot of blood testing and everything is normal including liver and kidney function and blood count. I do suffer from a lot of problems with digestion and my heart sometimes races after I get bloated after eating
Is this something neurological? I've had chest x ray, holter, ultrasound of the heart, stress test and a lot of blood testing and everything is normal including liver and kidney function and blood count. I do suffer from a lot of problems with digestion and my heart sometimes races after I get bloated after eating
Brief Answer:
I don't think it's neurological.
Detailed Answer:
I read your question carefully and I understand your concern.
As you have probably already been explained it is normal to have variations of heart rate during the day, it being lower at rest or sleeping when the body being inactive needs less blood to be pumped from the heart, while when standing or moving it needs to speed up to maintain normal functioning. Also anxiety does play its role by increasing heart rate and blood pressure.
It is good however that you have had several cardiac tests to rule out heart problems and that those have come back normal.
Regarding the neurological cause I don't think that is likely as well. I read that you had been suggested a brain tumor but that would certainly have other symptoms previous to these ones like constant headache, vomiting, weakness of the limbs, coordination issues, difficulty swallowing etc which are more prominent. That applies also for some other conditions involving the brain like multiple sclerosis, infections etc.
So unless you have other symptoms you want to talk about, if other heart or hormonal factors are ruled out I wouldn't worry about brain disease being the cause.
I remain at your disposal for further questions.
I don't think it's neurological.
Detailed Answer:
I read your question carefully and I understand your concern.
As you have probably already been explained it is normal to have variations of heart rate during the day, it being lower at rest or sleeping when the body being inactive needs less blood to be pumped from the heart, while when standing or moving it needs to speed up to maintain normal functioning. Also anxiety does play its role by increasing heart rate and blood pressure.
It is good however that you have had several cardiac tests to rule out heart problems and that those have come back normal.
Regarding the neurological cause I don't think that is likely as well. I read that you had been suggested a brain tumor but that would certainly have other symptoms previous to these ones like constant headache, vomiting, weakness of the limbs, coordination issues, difficulty swallowing etc which are more prominent. That applies also for some other conditions involving the brain like multiple sclerosis, infections etc.
So unless you have other symptoms you want to talk about, if other heart or hormonal factors are ruled out I wouldn't worry about brain disease being the cause.
I remain at your disposal for further questions.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Thank you for your response doctor maybe I'm just too sensitive to all these sensations and I'm worrying too much
Brief Answer:
You're welcome.
Detailed Answer:
You are welcome! Yes, anxiety can cause all sorts of manifestations, but it is however good that you have payed attention to your symptoms as at times tests reveal hidden underlying conditions.
If some other question pops in your mind I am still here.
Wishing you good health!
You're welcome.
Detailed Answer:
You are welcome! Yes, anxiety can cause all sorts of manifestations, but it is however good that you have payed attention to your symptoms as at times tests reveal hidden underlying conditions.
If some other question pops in your mind I am still here.
Wishing you good health!
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Doctor I have one last question. Can my slower heart rate be cause by damage to the vagus nerve or vagus dystonia? I'm not sure if I have this or my heart is just healthy.
Brief Answer:
Slow heart rate is common in young individuals.
Detailed Answer:
Sorry for taking a little time to respond, happened to have had a couple of very busy days at the hospital.
As I suppose you must have been told by the cardiologists in the absence of other data increased vagal tone with slow heart rate is often a physiological finding in young healthy individuals especially during sleep. In my opinion this is also your case since cardiologists haven't noted anything else.
There are some conditions which can also cause increased vagal tone like:
-myocardial infarction (excluded by the cardiologists)
-toxic or environmental exposure (would have other signs and symptoms apart from exposure history)
-electrolyte disorders, hypoglycemia, hypothyroidism - they are excluded through routine tests which most probably you have done.
-infection (would have other signs as well as blood count changes)
-sleep apnea (would have other symptoms like daytime tiredness and sleepiness, snoring, abrupt awakenings and breathing interruptions during sleep)
-drug effects (you don't mention any)
-increased intracranial pressure (that would be due to a tumor which as I've already explained has other anifestations like persistent headache, vomiting etc)
As you can see most of those causes are excluded either by the tests you've had or by the lack of other more prominent signs and symptoms.
I hope to have been of help.
Slow heart rate is common in young individuals.
Detailed Answer:
Sorry for taking a little time to respond, happened to have had a couple of very busy days at the hospital.
As I suppose you must have been told by the cardiologists in the absence of other data increased vagal tone with slow heart rate is often a physiological finding in young healthy individuals especially during sleep. In my opinion this is also your case since cardiologists haven't noted anything else.
There are some conditions which can also cause increased vagal tone like:
-myocardial infarction (excluded by the cardiologists)
-toxic or environmental exposure (would have other signs and symptoms apart from exposure history)
-electrolyte disorders, hypoglycemia, hypothyroidism - they are excluded through routine tests which most probably you have done.
-infection (would have other signs as well as blood count changes)
-sleep apnea (would have other symptoms like daytime tiredness and sleepiness, snoring, abrupt awakenings and breathing interruptions during sleep)
-drug effects (you don't mention any)
-increased intracranial pressure (that would be due to a tumor which as I've already explained has other anifestations like persistent headache, vomiting etc)
As you can see most of those causes are excluded either by the tests you've had or by the lack of other more prominent signs and symptoms.
I hope to have been of help.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
Get personalised answers from verified doctor in minutes across 80+ specialties
